A second success in a row for Capela and the Hawks
Still victorious on the floor of the Washington Wizards (107-114), Atlanta and the Geneva pivot consolidated their 8th place in the NBA Eastern Conference.
Clint Capela left the Wizards floor with a smile on his face.
Getty Images via AFP
Washington’s air seems to suit Atlanta. Two days after a first success (120-122) on the floor of the Wizards, the Hawks returned the cover in the night from Friday to Saturday by winning, this time, more widely (107-114). This second consecutive success allowed Clint Capela’s franchise to regain a positive balance in terms of winning percentage (50.7%) after 67 regular season games.
With 34 wins for 33 losses on the clock, the 28-year-old Genevan and his partners are in 8th position in the NBA Eastern Conference. In the federal capital, the Swiss international managed 8 points and grabbed 10 rebounds – for a record of -5 – during the 29’26 spent on the ground.
In the other matches of the night, Joel Embiid shone. Author of 39 points and the decisive shot 1.1 seconds from the buzzer, the Cameroonian star transformed into victory (120-119) the comeback of the Sixers against the Blazers. Philadelphia’s fourth straight win was hanging by a thread. But above was a tightrope walker of 2.13 m for 127 kg, capable, like few other stars of his size, of succeeding such baskets at mid-distance by turning 360 degrees.
“To be able to come back in a match like this, when we are still trailing by one point, you have to do this type of action,” commented Embiid hotly. His team was 21 points behind at the end of the first period…
In doing so, the Cameroonian (also 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 interceptions) delivered the Wells Fargo Center, which sent back chanting “MVPs! MVP!”. In this race, he still seems to be a little behind double holder Nikola Jokic, but since the beginning of the month, that is to say the last five games, he is averaging 37.2 points on 60.9% shooting success. . This is called being dominant.
“We don’t give up”
This is the third time this season that the Sixers have managed to erase a deficit of at least twenty points and then win. “We are not giving up. Obviously, we don’t want to be behind by 20 points, but we try to find ways to stay in the game, to give ourselves a chance. That’s what we did tonight,” said James Harden (19 pts, 9 rebounds, 8 assists).
Portland, before cracking in the last quarter (35-23), thought it had a precious victory for its quest for the play-offs in the West, thanks to Anfernee Simmons (34 pts) in the one-night stint of Damian Lillard ( 22 points, 11 assists). The Blazers may regret this final fatal second, which squeezes them into 13th place.
Philly remains third in the East, ahead of Cleveland, which lost (119-115) to Miami, despite 42 points (15/30 on shots including 8/15 from long range) from Donovan Mitchell. But the star of the Cavs, whose virtuous series stops at three successes, was a little too alone on the floor of the Heat, who could count on their tireless leader Jimmy Butler, very skilful (33 pts at 12/16 on shots ).
Miami retains its seventh place, behind Brooklyn (6th), winner after overtime (124-123) in Minnesota. Mikal Bridges (34 pts) and Spencer Dinwiddie (29 pts, 11 assists) were key to the success of the Nets.
The Lakers continue
Opposite, Rudy Gobert, more and more involved offensively, was excellent (26 pts at 12/15 on shots, 12 rebounds, 4 interceptions), but in vain, just like Anthony Edwards (32 pts), best gunner of Timberwolves who slip into eighth position in the West.
The surprise of the day came from San Antonio, where the Spurs, penultimate in the Western Conference, inflicted a second consecutive setback on the Nuggets (128-120), who forgot to defend. Gregg Popovich’s men, not often at the party this season, indeed shot at 54.3% success, Keldon Johnson (23 pts) having been the most prolific. Their success is all the more remarkable as Nikola Jokic did not let go with his 26th triple-double of the season (37 pts, 11 assists, 11 rebounds). So far, the previous 25 had all resulted in a win for Denver.
Finally, the Lakers recorded a third success in a row at the expense of Toronto (122-112) which keeps them in ninth place in the West, in the play-off area for the play-offs.
Still deprived of LeBron James (ankle) and despite the discretion of Anthony Davis (8 pts, 4 blocks), they were able to count on D’Angelo Russell (28 pts, 9 assists) and Dennis Shroder (23 pts), an encouraging sign that the collective finally asserts itself match after match.
AFP
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